Don't worry, Battlefield fans. You don't really need to engage in pre-order incentive nonsense for Battlefield 3, at least not if you want the "exclusive" weapons, ammo and add-ons that Electronic Arts is dangling in front of first-person shooter enthusiasts.

DICE says that's not so. The "Physical Warfare Pack," they say, will be available to everyone, for free, after the game launches.

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"I would like to start by clarifying that the Physical Warfare Pack is a time-based exclusive," writes DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson. "If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3 at a retailer carrying the Physical Warfare Pack, don't worry. We will unlock the contents of the Physical Warfare Pack for free to all Battlefield 3 players later this year."

Yes, you'll still need to wait a little while for EA and DICE to unleash the contents of the Physical Warfare Pack on Battlefield 3 players worldwide, but there's no need to rush out and pre-order the thing. They're going to have millions of these things, like, everywhere. Promise.

That said, you may still want to pre-order the game if the "Back To Karkand" map pack interests you. Troedsson reminds us that that downloadable content will be available for "free" to people who pre-order the game, paid content for those who don't.